Vehicle with retractible rear wheel assembly
AssigneeGerardus J. Brouwer
InventorsGerardus J. Brouwer, Dan Dvorak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A collapsible forklift vehicle has three frame sets, namely a main frame, a pair of front wheel frames which can be retracted into the main frame, and a mast frame which runs partly on the main frame and partly on the front wheel frames. The main frame defines a rear space for the rear wheels, and motor and operator platforms, all of which can be retracted into the rear space to shorten the vehicle for transport. The mast, carried by the mast frame, includes intermediate channels running in outer channels using top and bottom rollers, enabling the use of lighter gauge steel for the mast.
Claims15
A vehicle having a front and a rear and comprising:
- (a) a main frame,
- (b) said main frame including a pair of side members defining a space therebetween, and a support member extending rearwardly in said space,
- (c) a rear axle mounted on said support member for movement forwardly and rearwardly on said support member, and a rear wheel mounted on said axle,
- (d) a steering mechanism for steering said rear wheel,
- (e) and a retraction mechanism coupled between said rear axle and said main frame for moving said rear axle forwardly and rearwardly along said support member to extend and retract said rear axle and said rear wheel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.